Reading Check

Hello fellow reader!

Notice that I already assume that you love to read. Why? Well, because you are reading a blog, especially in an age that many internet users have moved on to consuming mostly video content.

How is your reading life? I wrote about my 2021 in books a few weeks ago. Despite it all, I ended up reading 24 books last year, which is more books than I have since I started tracking my reading (think 10 years!!!). My all-time high before last year was in 2014, the year before I had my first child. Reading-wise, it has been downhill since, until I started re-prioritising reading and struggling to cut-down my social media time.

Outside of the “literary crowd” and the “book circles” (those people who seem to be reading, have read or have on their TBR list the latest published books) or those who read primarily for business and how to make more money by doing less, reading is definitely not a massively popular past-time.

As someone who runs a bookshop, I know plenty of people who read avidly, because they love to read. I also know many people who read solely for work and who expect to see a clear and measurable difference in their careers or bank balances as a result of what they are reading. I know people who like the idea of reading, but never actually get round to making much time for it. As many types of teas there are in the world are there types of readers.

Outside of the literary circles, it seems to me that books are rarely seen as a cool thing. Even among the “readers are leaders” set, books are seen as a necessity to get to crush your goals and not always to be appreciated for themselves.

So, it was a beautiful thing to watch the Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso. On the surface the show is about football, but the themes it brings up (unusual friendships, being the underdogs, the long-term effects of disturbed childhoods) are wider and deeper than that. I love it when you get far, far more than what you bargained for.

However, one of the best things about this show is that people read books. Like book-books. Like physical books. And they are enjoying them. And it’s a normal part of their everyday life. It’s not a big deal.

Early in season 1, Coach Lasso gives gifts of books to all the players on his team. They are more than a little surprised at this. I was greatly surprised when I saw later in that episodes or in episodes to follow that some of the players were actually reading the books.

I love that Roy Kent got A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, a young adults book, and he reads it and seems really into it. All through the rest of the season and the next, we see that he is a regular reader.

Coach Beard reads in the office at his desk when he isn’t working – mostly books about football strategy, it seems. Sam Obisanya, one of the stars of the football club, Richmond FC, is also often seen with a book in hand. In several scenes, he’s reading while he’s on the treadmill. And of course, Ted Lasso, who gifted his players books, also reads too.

Aside from the scenes of books, there are copious references to books (and films, TV shows and music).

When I started writing this post, I decided to google “Ted Lasso + books” and realised that I am quite late to this party, as I came across quite a few articles and posts analysing the book choices in the show and what they say about the characters reading them.

I love that the show has shown books as a normal and everyday part of people’s lives. It throws into the bin that idea that there’s a certain type of person who reads. And maybe that there are certain types of books that we should be reading. For as many different type of character there is, we see as many genre of books.

It shows that books are truly for everyone. No matter who you are or what you are interested in, there are books for you.

J.K. Rowling said, “If you don’t like to read, it’s because you haven’t found the right book.”

I truly believe this. And as a life-long fiction lover, I believe in reading for pleasure as much (or even more) than reading for “professional enrichment.”

After all, like Oscar Wilde said, “It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.“